Benjamin Franklin King

King was born at St. Joseph, Michigan, March 17, 1857, and died while on a speaking tour at Bowling Green, Kentucky, April 7, 1894. He was married November 27, 1883 to Aseneth Belle Latham, of St. Joseph, Michigan, and the couple had two children, Bennett Latham King and Spencer P. King, aged nine and five, respectively, at the time of his death.

King billed himself as "Ben King, the Sweet Singer of St. Joe". He first came to prominence for a concert given during the World's Columbian Exposition. Introduced to the Press Club of Chicago, he was quickly picked up by Opie Read, who invited King to tour with him, reading his poetry with piano ... more »

Quotations

The great secret of succeeding in conversation is to admire little, to hear much; always to distrust our own reason, and sometimes that of our friends; never to pretend to wit, but to make that of oth...

If I should die

1 If I should die to-night2 And you should come to my cold corpse and say,3 Weeping and heartsick o'er my lifeless clay --4 If I should die to-night,5 And you should come in deepest grief and woe --6 And say: "Here's that ten dollars that I owe,"7 I might arise in my large white cravat8 And say, "What's that?"

9 If I should die to-night10 And you should come to my cold corpse and kneel,11 Clasping my bier to show the grief you feel,12 I say, if I should die ...